Working with Developers as a Product Champion

If you’re the Product Champion on a software development project, that means working with a development team. You need to do everything possible to make sure that you’re communicating well, setting expectations, and prioritizing goals. Join us to understand how to support your team, enforce scope, and ensure the quality of your end product.

Transcript

1. Catherine Meade, Technical Director Working with Developers as a Product Champion July 28, 2022
2. “Product Champ” Tactical Leadership Strategic Leadership
3. A healthy team means a higher quality product.
4. ‣Prioritizing Clear Outcome Goals ‣Enforcing Scope ‣Listening To Developers ‣Building Quality Assurance Into Processes & Budgets Working with Developers as a Product Champion
5. Working with Developers as a Product Champion Prioritize Clear Outcome Goals De fi nition of Done Settling Disputes 
 What Success Looks Like
6. A sentence or two included in the work description that explains the behavior of the application after the work is complete. Definition of Done
8. If there is a disagreement, it’s the Product Champion’s job to step in and choose a path forward for the team. Settle Disputes
9. If there is a disagreement, it’s the Product Champion’s job to step in and choose a path forward for the team. Settle Disputes
10. Be intentional about sharing the goals for each sprint, deadline, and engagement. Define Success
12. Be intentional about sharing the goals for each sprint, deadline, and engagement. Define Success
13. Clear outcome goals keep the team moving toward success.
14. Working with Developers as a Product Champion Enforce Scope Scope Creep Increased Headcount
15. When work that is unaccounted for in the original project plan sneaks its way in. "Scope Creep"
16. "Scope Creep" ‣Business Leadership ‣Design Revision / Polish ‣Developer Refactors Working with Developers as a Product Champion
17. What are you willing to cut in order to add this feature?" "
18. Increasing team size comes with hidden costs, think carefully before growing the team. Should I just increase headcount?
19. Product Champions are ultimately responsible for increased scope.
20. Working with Developers as a Product Champion Listen to Devs Refactoring 
 Tech Debt Estimations
21. Dev Quality of Life improvements keep your team motivated and prepared to accomplish business needs. Prioritize Refactors
22. We've been trying to contact you about your codebase's extended warranty. Tech Debt
23. Include the entire developer team when estimating work. Estimate Accurately
24. A key factor to working with developers is listening to them…
25. …and trusting their expertise.
26. There may be a faster or more accessible way to accomplish a similar goal. Consider Alternatives
27. Working with Developers as a Product Champion Don't Forget QA Browser & Accessibility Support 
 Design Review 
 Automated Testing
28. Incorporate quality assurance checks into your process early.
29. Quality Assurance can also be done alongside feature work, not just after. Incorporate QA Into Your Process
30. Build it fast, build it cheap, or build it well. 
 
 Pick two.
31. Your De fi nition of Done can include light browser and accessibility testing. Take a note
32. Be an advocate for quality via process, reducing strain on the team.
34. You can create a sustainable, healthy development environment.
35. Working with Developers as a Product Champion Thanks! Twitter: @catheraaine 
 Email: catherine@heysparkbox.com 
 SpeakerDeck: speakerdeck.com/catheraaine